Book Review: Hegarty on Creativity – There are no rules

Decent little book full of short reflections on what it means to create and what it means to adopt a creative mindset. I've picked off the quotes that stood out for me and typed them below. Anyone reading and liking this book will also enjoy listening to some of John Hegarty's public talks which can be found on YouTube (e.g. here and here).

"You have to be supremely confident in your ability to achieve something outstanding."

"Start small, start compact, and suddenly you'll have begun to create."

"... often the right idea will come to you when you're not even thinking."

"... if you don't believe in what you're doing, why should anyone else."

"When I'm asked, When do you do your best thinking? My answer is always, When I'm not thinking."

"Too much thinking jeopardises the creative process..."

"A cynic might sound smart, sometimes even witty, but rarely are they productive. So surround yourself with positivity and possibility. With people who challenge and question. And as soon as anyone resorts to cynicism, move on."

"In the end, everything is connected and the more connections you make the more interesting your work will become."

"As important as practice is, there's no point constantly practicing unless you're perfecting whatever it is that you're working on."

"Practice only makes perfect if you make progress."

"Whatever you're doing, whatever difficulties you're encountering, remember how lucky you are and be sure to have fun."

Positive thinking

To see what you have,

over and above what you don't.

To see what others have given you,

over and above what they haven't.

To find good intent in the actions of others,

and excuses for them at the very least.

To look to the past only for its lessons,

and the future for its opportunities.

To know that this life is a test,
and no act of giving goes unseen.

Book Review: The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene

I was going through the books in my shed last weekend when I stumbled across this book. It's a small book and I thought it would be a humorous, one-hour-max skim read so I packed it in my bag for my Monday commute to work. Four commute days later and it's scribbled with notes and highlights all over! For sure it's not gospel and it is quite sinister at times but, as sad as it is to admit, it's got its fair share of stories and advices that I can't help but find agreeable! My six favourite chapters, or laws rather, were the following: (1) Never outshine the master; (10) Infection - avoid the unhappy and the unlucky; (11) Learn to keep people dependent on you; (13) When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude; (17) Cultivate an air of unpredictability; and (46) Never appear too perfect.

Below are some of my favourite quotes from the book:

"... Do not be one of the many who mistakenly believe that the ultimate form of power is independence. Power involves a relationship between people... If you create no need for yourself, then you will be done away with at the first opportunity... You do not have to be a genius; you do have to have a skill that sets you apart from the crowd..."

"Most men are so thoroughly subjective that nothing really interests them but themselves. They always think of their own case as soon as ever any remark is made, and their whole attention is engrossed and absorbed by the nearest chance reference to anything which affects them personally, be it never so remote." (Arthur Schopenhauer)

"The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let people see clearly that it is in their interests to promote yours." (Jean de La Bruyere)

"Animals behave in set patterns, which is why we are able to hunt and kill them. Only man has the capacity consciously to alter his behaviour, to improvise and overcome the weight of routine and habit... Only the terminally subordinate act in a predictable manner."

"Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived." (Niccolo Machiavelli)

Book Review: ReWork – Change the Way You Work Forever, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Work needn't be unpleasant! And this book here describes that ideal company to work for, or, best-case-scenario, that ideal company to create!! Found myself agreeing with near enough everything in this book. Great points and good questions raised. Such as: what is it with businesses/organisations and the obsession to grow? If you've found a good size for what you do, why not stick to it?? Or, why the obsession with working 40+ hour weeks? Throwing hours at problems and creating zombie cultures isn't the best way to go. Or, why the obsession to add features to products just for the sake of adding features?? Better to question whether the features you're adding actually add value or detract from the product's purpose. And why the need to schedule an hour's meeting when seven minutes is all that's required?! And so on and so forth. Definitely worth a read.

Book Review: Execute, by Drew Wilson and Josh Long

Inspiring! That's what this book sets out to do and that's what it does!! Great book - put together in just eight days - about the joys of executing on ideas and making stuff. Great reminder firstly about working smart (recovering between sprints etc) and secondly about the importance of having projects outside of 'work' on the go, keeping them simple and seeing them through (design, development, marketing, support) to completion.

The indispensability trap

Great article on good management in the November 2012 issue of Management Today: The Indispensability Trap, by Richard Jolly. In summary...

The curse of bad management:

"You are fantastic: indispensable.
Which is why you're the last person I'd promote!
You are far too important where you are."

The goal of good management:

"The team is working so well
they don't need me any more!
I am ready for my next challenge."

No guts, no glory

Know guts. Know glory.

(Nice play on words I saw somewhere a few days back [can't remember where] and stuck in my head.)

The Rise of the Introvert

Read and liked this article by John Morrish in the April 2012 issue of Management Today which reviewed Susan Cain's recently released book 'Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking':

http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1124091/rise-introvert

Found myself answering true to almost all the questions at the end. Here's some...

• I prefer one-to-one conversations to group activities.
• I often prefer to express myself in writing.
• I enjoy solitude.
• I seem to care less than my peers about wealth, fame and status.
• People tell me that I'm a good listener.
• I'm not a big risk-taker.
• I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members.
• People describe me as 'soft-spoken' or 'mellow'.
• I dislike conflict.
• I tend to think before I speak.
• I feel drained after being out and about, even if I've enjoyed myself.

... Still not convinced though whether these are qualities to be embraced and worked with, or characteristics to be resisted and overcome...

A Technique for Producing Ideas, by James Young

Nice little book. Padded with extras at the beginning and end because the core advice itself - the five steps that lead to a good idea - is so short and probably wouldn't justify a book because of its shortness!.. but in terms of content: highly highly recommended reading for all. You won't look at 'ideas' the same again.

A summary of the fives steps that lead to good ideas...

First: gather the raw materials;
the old existing elements related to your topic at hand.

Second: work over these raw materials
trying to bring the old elements into new combinations,
looking to find relationships,
trying consciously to produce a new idea or application.
Keep going, persist,
endure beyond tiredness
until you reach the hopeless stage,
until everything is a jumble in your mind with no clear insight anywhere.

Third: the incubating mental digestive stage.
Turn the problem over to your subconscious mind,
dropping it as completely as you can,
to do the synthesis while you distract yourself elsewhere.

Fourth: the birth of the idea.
The "Eureka! I have it" stage.
Out of nowhere the idea will appear
when cooking or bathing or in the middle of the night;
when you least expect it.

Fifth and final: the shaping and adapting of the idea
with others
with patience
to practicality.
Taking your newborn idea into the world of reality.
And when you do,
you'll find it not quite the complete and marvellous child it seemed when you first gave birth to it.
Indeed don't make the mistake of holding your idea close to your chest.
Submit it to the criticism of the judicious.
A good idea after all has self-expanding qualities;
possibilities that you overlooked will come to light.

Optimists and pessimists

Says the optimist in times of success
"My efforts came together."
and in times of failure
"External factors are to blame for this."

Says the pessimist in times of failure
"I am to blame for this."
and in times of success
"External factors came together."

Says the attentive mind:
wake; find the middle ground.

Book Review: The Mind Gym – Relationships

I read the bulk of this book towards the end of 2010 and then left it in London and kept forgetting to pick it up and complete the last few chapters. I finally did so this week…

I bought this book because it was recommended (and partly put together?) by the people at Management Today, whose monthly magazine I enjoy reading, and I wasn't disappointed. Strangely though, despite it being a book on relationships, I learnt less about other people and more about myself! That's not a bad thing of course. As well as the content of the book, I liked the way it was structured too – small bite-size chunks (mixed with examples and stories) rather than long narratives.

If any one point stood out for me, it was to worry less about what others think of me and to understand that people think about us less than we think they do! The exception to this – of course – being parents and grandparents who without doubt think about us more than we realise they do. Rabbi-rhamhum 🙌

Here are a couple of nice quotes from the book to end with:

"It's happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust." (Samuel Johnson) 

"Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true." (Robert Brault)

Sources of happiness at work

Employees should feel that...
Goals are being achieved.
They themselves are having a positive impact.
They are being recognised for making a contribution.

Managers should be...
Creating a sense of shared purpose.
Paying attention to the team's development.
Generating enthusiasm and energy.

How?...
Setting (tangible) goals that are inspiring; which employees can relate to.
Connecting each person's output to the goal's achievement.
Praising employees; thanking them for their contributions.

The five tasks of a manager

Delegation.
Communication.
Motivation.
Handling tricky relationships.
Connecting people.

(Pulled out from an article in the May 2011 issue of Management Today entitled 'Rebuilding management's good name')

Lecture Summary: The Leadership of Muhammad, by John Adair

I wrote this blog post whilst listening to a talk by John Adair about the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) which took place at Imperial College London a month ago. I couldn't decide whether to stick this post on this Blog or my Faith Blog. I put it here in the end. Anyway, here are some qualities of a leader which the speaker identified…

Enthusiasm.

Integrity

(Loyalty; Truthfulness; Trustworthiness).

A certain amount of Toughness, matched with Fairness.

(The good chief has no relatives.)

Warmth. Humanity.

(Sharing in the hardships of your people.)

Humility. The lack of arrogance. 

(They won't hear what you say if who you are is thundering at them.) 

Vision. Tangible vision:

about a world different from today; about people. 

(The grace to be the catalyst,

organising the vision to continue on without you.) 

Intelligence. Experience. Goodness.

… There are other qualities of a leader without doubt (consulting, inspiring, and so on) but these are the ones which the speaker mentioned. I liked how the speaker kept his talk short, to the point, memorable, and allowed more time to interact with the audience; a good example of good leadership!

Mission Command

Six steps to getting leadership right:

1. establish beyond doubt the aim and purpose of your enterprise;
2. get the organisation right;
3. get the right people into your organisation;
4. get the right spirit into your people;
5. get your communications with them right;
6. let them get on with it.

No plan survives the first five minutes of adversity so... Do not command more than is necessary, or plan beyond the circumstances you can foresee.

(Summary of a review of the book 'The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps Between Plans, Actions and Results' by Stephen Bungay which I found in the Management Today January 2011 issue. The book review entitled 'Penetrating the fog of war' by Colonel Tim Collins was about how insights gained in battle can be usefully applied to the world of business – knowing when to lead and when to delegate.)

Lessons from the PhD experience

Three of the greatest lessons I learnt from the PhD experience (the past four years):

1. put in the effort without going overkill and allow things to ripen by God's permission in their own due time;
2. if things are not working out, don't get stressed, get up instead and go for a walk;
3. things always work out better than planned so enjoy the ride.

Interviews

Good couple of videos on silicon.com entitled 'Interview dos and donts' and 'How to shine in interviews'. Some of the key points to think about when watching again: Energy, Passion, Commitment, Enthusiasm, Positive perspective, Don't be negative, Make eye contact, Smiles, Ask intelligent questions, Don't try to look clever, Show interest in the culture of the organisation, Find out more information about the company, Demonstrate your interests, Prepare your questions, and lots more besides!

Umm... Err... Erm...

When delivering a public talk or sermon, better to be silent whilst you gather your thoughts rather than mumbling on!

Six lessons in leadership

The advice below is adapted from an article in the Spring 2010 issue of 'Imperial Matters' entitled 'Six lessons in leadership'. The article was based on Imperial College Alumnus Vice Admiral Sir Adrian Johns' experiences of captaincy and command in the Royal Navy.

Delegation

• Delegation is all about trusting people to get on with the job that you give them, but it is far more than just giving somebody a job, telling them to crack on with it and not to bother you until it is all finished;
• Delegators have a huge responsibility in terms of judging the capability and competence of the people that they are giving jobs to, making sure that the right resources are there, that the risks are understood. There is also a great trick in knowing whether, how and when to intervene when things are not going terribly well;
• There is always the danger of misinterpretation. Part of delegation is taking risk, and there is risk, but also huge benefit, in allowing other people to make mistakes. Not repeatedly, but to make mistakes and to learn from them.

Subordinate development

• Letting go and letting someone else have a go is key to subordinate development;
• Bringing youngsters on is not always easy because very often the path of least resistance is to do things yourself. The discipline of standing at the back hoping you don't have to interfere is far, far harder than getting up there and doing it yourself, but we have a real duty and responsibility to train our successors;
• Add a box on your personal evaluations called 'subordinate development', and judge and mark yourselves on your ability to bring on young people and to train them in succession.

Loneliness

• The first aspect of loneliness in leadership is that it is something that one really feels in times of crisis, when the sky is falling in around you. You feel, rather wrongly, like you are the only one there, like you are the only one that can make the decision;
• The second aspect is that the captain sits alone wondering what his 'officers' are doing. It is a part of the loneliness of leadership, both a curse and a privilege, to step back from the bustle and everything that is going on to take stock, to look at things objectively and to think.

Adaptability

• Amidst changes and, possibly even, the splitting of people into teams and projects, do not allow those in your organisation to lose focus about who they are, why they do what they do, and why it might be slightly different from the way other people do things. Ensure everyone is working together and continues so. This requires a particular aspect of leadership, a very interesting skill requiring different qualities, to ensure you keep your people focused.

Humour

• A great store of humour only serves to aid leadership, and does no harm;
• A little bit of humour at a time of crisis often lifts the mood and gets you and your team focused on the tasks ahead.

Heritage

• Heritage is not about museums and historic 'objects', nor a certain cultural way of doing things, it is about people;
• Heritage is the sense of not just doing a job in the here and now, but belonging to something that has got a fantastic foundation, and feeling responsible for its future. It is highly important for any organisation or institution.

Steve Jobs selling the new Apple IPad

Say it like you mean it,
like you're sure and certain,
and they'll believe you,
and buy it...

"... very thin... it's very thin... what this device does is extraordinary... it is the best browsing experience you've ever had... it's phenomenal... it's unbelievably great. Way better than a laptop. Way better than a smart phone... to see a whole web page is phenomenal... holding the internet in your hands, it's an incredible experience..."

All that is from a one-minute clip. All that in one minute!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_zI21XEo0Q